Mama bear

Have discovered nothing causes more stress than having your kid out in the world and the world sucker punches her. Over the course of the last 2 months, there have been two instances where Charlotte has felt threatened/afraid at school and it's because of one other child. 2 months ago this child told Charlotte it was the there was man waiting in the sewer killing little girls and telling Charlotte she was next. A barrage of meetings with teachers and counselors to discover he had gotten it from a movie. This time it was the same child telling Charlotte he was going to kill one of her friends because that friend "cheated on him." Keep in mind this child is 6 or 7. And I have no idea what he watches or sees at home. All I know is my child has started complaining that her stomach hurts before school and that we are having conversations about having a clear line of communication with her teacher when she feels uncomfortable. The counselor told us that she had told Charlotte that there are people in the world who say bad things and we just have to do our best to get through it. That's when I got angry. Just deal with it. That was the message given to her. Just found out from her teacher that this child was suspended for three days because of this and his mother was mad at the school. Three weeks of school left this year. Am seriously considering pulling her out now. Debating homeschooling (again) and if we can afford me to be part-time. What a headache.

She is a butterfly

So Charlotte is 6 (7 this summer) and experience has taught us not to fret, that the game will eventually click. It took Ryan until last fall (age 8) so for now we can enjoy Charlotte's playing of the game. Where Ryan runs to get the ball, Charlotte kind of flits and flutters--we call it her "butterfly thing". While Ryan is kicking goals, we are delighted and so proud when Charlotte kicks the ball. Just touches it with her foot. She runs fast because she knows she is supposed to, though she may not really know why. Or if she knows why, she may not care. And really, her run is kind of a gallop...Which is okay. She still likes to go and she likes to practice.

Love watching him run

Last season it finally clicked. Ryan started understanding the nuances of the game and became more aggressive and eager to learn the game of soccer. It was a treat to watch him in the fall and again this spring. There is talk of letting him try out for select in the fall...we'll see. We will likely put him in soccer camp this summer. He is fast and those long legs carry him far! He is more agile on his feet and moves the ball better. He's improving. I love watching him run!